Swinging soot blower



Feb. ll, 1936. F c, AREY ET'AL swINGING sool BLOWER Filed June 22, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented Feb. 11, 1936' UNITED vST1-QATES PATENT OFFICE SWINGING SOOT BLOWER Fred C. Arey; Oak Park, Ill., and De `Los E.Hibner, Jr., Du Bois, Pa., assgnors to` Vulcan Scot Blower Corporation, a corporation-of Pennsyl- Vilma,

Application June 22, 1935, SeriaLNo. 27,934

6 Claims. (CL 257-1) general type disclosed inIFred C. Areys application led November 1,.1933Seria1.No. 696,174.

The object of` the` present inventionis. to improve', incertain respects, therconstruction disclosed in the aforesaid Arey` application.

In the said Arey application cleaning fluid is, suppliedby a pipe to which thetubular cleaning,

elementis xed, so thatinorder that thecleaning element may have an oscillatory or swinging movement, `the supply pipe must also be movable angularlyabout its long axis., Furthermore the foreesto cause'these swingingmovements are applied directly to thesupply; pipe which `is thus subjected to comparatively powerfulA torsional 2,0 stresses. Viewed in oneof itsaspects, the'present invention may be said to have'` for itsA object to produce a simple and novel cleaning or -blower unit in which the cleaning.A element, alone, turns, While the supply pipe remains stationary, and in 2.5 which the turningv forces are applied to the cleaning element, whereby only small turning forces are required.

The various features of novelty whereby our invention is characterized will hereinafter be 30 pointed out with particularity in-the claims; but,

for a full understandingof our4 inventionandot its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings where- 35 in:

Figure 1 is a view, partly infront elevation,

and partly in section, illustratingA a fluid heater'V equipped in accordance with the present invene tion; Fig. 2 is a section taken approximately on 40 line 2-2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is al section on a line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4- of Fig. 2, showing only a fragment oftheblower.

unit and a single wall of the heater.

Referring to the drawings, An represents the 45- casing or housing of a heat interchanger containing vertical open-ended tubular. flues B through which hot combustion gases are passed and on i the inner surfaces ofv which soot, ashes andother foreign matter collect. It isthepur-` 50 pose of this invention to keep these 'lues clean.

In the particular arrangement shown, the-cleaning means is disposed-in the chamber C inthe upper part of the housing or casing, sonas tobe able to blow jets of cleaning fluid, usually steam, 55- down through the flues.

The-cleaningiiuid, to which we shallrefer as steam, is supplied to a horizontal pipe I extending1across the interior of the compartment C parallel with the rows of flues. This pipe is stationary` and mounted thereon is a swinging struc- 5 ture includinga tubular cleaning or blowing elment. 2 which is` parallel to the pipe I. This swinging structure comprises two hollow arms 3,

344 mounted on the pipe I close to the front and rear walls of the casing or housing, so as to pro- 10 jectradially from the said pipe I and be rotatable about the same.v These arms are connected togetherbytwo long tie rods 4 and 5 extending between and fixed to corresponding ends of the arms. The arms 3 lie almost entirely on one side 15 of` thewaxislof'thepipe I, projecting only far enough in thelvopposite direction to receive the tiev rodA 4. On the free ends of the main portions of the arms are suitable heads 6 into which the ends of the. cleaner element extend and in which they are-journaled so as to permit the cleaner element toturn about its long axis relative to the arms. The arms are` provided with relatively long sleeve like-partsor hubs 1 that surround and are free toy turn onthe pipe I. As best shown in Fig. 4, the pipe I is .preferably provided with short sections composed of metal adapted to form good bearings for hubs or sleeves l; each of the sections` 8 being provided with suitable external packings 9 placed within the ends of the sur- 30 rounding :hub or sleeve. The bore of the hubs or sleeves is enlarged at the middle to provide an annular space or chamber II) around the pipe within eachhub or sleeve; this space or chamber being positoned betweenthe packings which therefore shut off communication between the latter andthe surrounding atmosphere. Each of the pipesections 8 has therein ports II registering with thelsurrounding chamber I0. Consequently, whensteam is supplied tothe pipe I, it flows through the ports II, through the tubular arms 3, and into thetubular cleaner element from which itis,.diseharged through any usual or suitable nozzles I2.

The parts are so proportioned that when the arms` 3 hang down the cleaner element is near the Vends of the flues so that jets discharged therefrom., can effectively enter the flues. As the cleaner element is swung through its prescribed arc, the jets move from one row of ilues to the next. row until all of them have been cleaned.

It is desirable that the directions in which the jets travel be parallel to the long axes of the ueswith which the jets are registering at any giventime.y This result would not be obtained if Vform of a hinge pin I 6.

the cleaner element were iixed Vto the supporting arms, because in that case the angles of the jets would change with changes in the angular 'positions of Ythe arms. We have therefore provided means to turn the cleaner element relatively to the supporting arms while swinging it back and forth, thereby holding the jets parallel to theV long axes of the ilues. Y

The swinging of the cleaner element and the turning thereof relatively to its supporting arms is accomplished by a single operating means. The immediate operating means is a shaft I3 near and paralleling the steam pipe I. Fixed to the shaft are two long, rigid arms I4, each near one of the arms 3. The free end of each of the arms I l extends between and is secured to a pair of ears I5, projecting laterallyA from the cleaner element; the connection being in` the lows that when the operating shaft is turned in Y one direction, the arm I4 pulls the swinging frame along, (the ears on the cleaner element Vand theV element itself serving as connecting links) and causes the cleaner element to turn A in the frame and compel the nozzles always to point in the proper direction. When the shaft is turned in the opposite direction, ,the arms thereon push the swinging frame ahead of them, simply reversing the movements of the parts.

It will be seen that the forces that are applied to the swinging frame to move it, take effect at points remote from the swinging axis, so that their leverage is great and the forces need be only small ones. Furthermore, the steam pipe serves only as a conduit and as a journal on which the swinging frame is mounted, so that the only load upon the same Vis that due to the weight of the swinging frame and its counterbalances Il.

The operating shaft may be turned by any suitable means. In the arrangement shown, there is a toothed segment I8 fixed on one end of this shaft. Meshing with this segment is a pinion I9 fixed to a short shaft 2|). On the outer end of the shaft 2B is a sprocket wheel ZI around which extends a sprocket chain 22. YThis chain may form part of an endless flexible member extending to any suitable point for manual operation or to be controlled in some other manner.

The supply oi steam to the pipe I may be con- Y trolled in any usual or suitable way. In the arrangementshown, steam is delivered Athrough a line 23 that leads to a valve 24 connected to the Yfront Vend of the pipe I. This valve has an actu- Y ator 25 in the form of a pulley 25 over which runs a Vchain 26. By pulling on one end of the chain 25 the valve will be closed whereas, when the other end is pulled, the valve will be opened.

While we have illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of our invention, we do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and ar- The distance betweenf for supplying cleaning fluid, a tubular blower ele- Vment spaced apart from and paralleling said pipe, Y

means supporting said blower'element from said pipe for swinging movements about the axis of the latter and for placing the interiorof the Vblower element in communication with the interior of the pipe, means for swinging said blower element about said pipe, and means for causing relative turning movements between the blower element and the supporting means therefor whileV the blower element is making swinging movements.

2. In combination, a group of vertical openended tubes or flues, a stationary horizontal pipe mounted at some distance from the endsrof said tubes or iiues, a horizontal tubular blower element located near the open ends of said tubes or flues, means supporting said blower element from said pipe and placing the interior thereof in communication with theinterior Vof the pipe,

and means for swingingV said blower elementv about said pipe and'simultaneously causing-lt to turn about its own axis. Y Y' V3. In a fluid heater cleaner, a supporting mexn-V Y ber mounted for swinging movements, a tubular blower element mounted on said member with its axis spaced apart from and parallel to the axis about which said member swings, said blower element being adapted to turn relatively to theV supporting member about its own axis, a shaft near and parallel to the said axis of the supporting member, an arm fixed to said shaft and extending into the vicinity of said blower element, a link Vconnecting the said arm to the blower Y element, the said link being as long as the dis-v tance between the axis of the shaft and the aforesaid axis of the ,supporting member and being parallel to a plane containing the two latter axes, and means for turning said shaft.

4. In a fluid heater cleaner, va stationary horizontal pipe, tubular arms projecting radially from said pipe, means connecting said armsfto said pipe so as to support them for swinging vmovements about theaxis of the pipe,a tubular blowerY element extending between and rotatable in the outer ends of said arms, the parts being so constructed and arrangedkthat the arms plaetlie blower element in communication with the interior of the pipe, a shaft near and parallel to said pipe, an arm fixed to saidV shaft and extending therefrom to a point near the Vblower element, a link connecting the said arm to the blower element, the effective length of the arm being equal to the distancebetween the axes of the pipe and the blower element, the Veffective length of said link being equal to the distance between the axes of the pipe andthe shaft,`and means to turn the shaft. Y

5. In a fluid heater cleaner, a supporting mein` ber mounted for swinging movements, 'a tubular blower element mounted on said member with its axis spaced apart from and parallel, to the axis about which said member swings, said blower element being adapted to turn relatively to the supporting member aboutits own axis, means to deliver cleaning fluid into the blower element, a shaftnear and parallel to the said axis of the supporting member, a rigid arm xed to said shaft and extending into Athe vicinityY ofv said blower element, a link connecting the Vsaidarm to the blower element, the said link being as long'as 75' the distance between the axis of the shaft and the aforesaid axis of the supporting member and being parallel to a plane containing the two latter axes, and means for turning said shaft.

6. In a fluid heater cleaner, a stationary horizontal pipe, arms at least one of which is tubular projecting radially with respect to said pipe, means supporting said arms for swinging movements about the axis of said pipe, a tubular blower element extending between and rotatable in the outer ends of said arms, the parts being so constructed and arranged that the arms place the blower element in communication with the interior of the pipe, a shaft near and parallel to said pipe, a rigid arm fixed to said shaft and extending therefrom to a point near the blower element, a link connecting the said arm tothe blower element, the effective length of the arm being equal to the distance between the axes of the pipe and the blower element and, the effective length of said link being equal to the distance between the axes of the pipe and the shaft, and means to turn the shaft.

FRED C. DE' LOS E. I-IIIBNER, JR. 

